Thankfully, I’d been to Freddie and Layne’s room and knew where it was. And it was also a relief that it was on the ground floor. I peered in the window I’d just knocked on, a flame flickering to life within the room, and the shadow of a person appeared in front of me. Layne. I took a step back as the window opened and then I put my finger to my lips, her brow knitting before her head turned toward a noise from the street.

Freddie appeared next to her, and Layne shushed him too. I gestured to both of them to climb out just as the distant sounds of people entering the house they were in could be heard from the front. “Come on,” I whispered.

Freddie climbed quickly from his window, and then turned to help Layne out too. “What’s happening? Who is that?” Layne whispered as I led them away from the back of the house.

“Leon’s a Judas. This community is being taken over by his people. They’re armed and they’re going to march everyone out the front gate, except those of Leon’s choosing.”

I’d said all that as one continuous stream of whispered words and now took in a big gulp of air as Freddie and Layne stared at me in shock. But the sounds coming from the streets in front of the homes and now inside many of them as well, told the truth of what I was saying.

“His choosing?” Layne asked, eyes wide.

“Young, strong, I don’t know. They’re his people. He’s the leader here now. The guards at the front are loyal to him and let the others in.”

“Fuck,” Freddie hissed. “I worked with those dudes guarding the gate in LA. I always thought they were sketchy,” he muttered. The low beam of a flashlight flickered next to us, and we all leaned back, using the fence for cover. After a moment it disappeared as though someone out on the street had shined it through the side yard. We waited for a moment, listening before Freddie met my eyes and then looked at Layne. “A number of us have been planning for something like this. There are many here who’ve been gathering weapons and supplies. Some had them in their homes and risked going back out for them. Other attained them in other ways.”

“You were keeping that from me?” Layne asked.

“We didn’t want to offend the original residents. You weren’t here yet, but they wrung their hands even about arming the guards at the gate. They had a whole meeting about it and everything. And I didn’t want to worry you, I know you don’t like guns. But we might end up having some of the last food in the city. We might be very close to that point now.”